


Summer Heat

by Fix_writes_fics



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Modern AU, and they were ROOMMATES, tagging that in case it squicks anyone, talk of hypothetical cannibalism, the heat is getting to sokka okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26296096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fix_writes_fics/pseuds/Fix_writes_fics
Summary: Sokka is sure the heat is melting his brain, actually. He looks to Zuko for assistance.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 139





	Summer Heat

Summer is a bad season, Sokka thinks. Just, the worst. Way too hot, too stuffy, and no way to get cool if you were unfortunate enough to not be able to afford an A/C unit. As Sokka and Zuko were grad students and existed at the mercy of their institution, they fell into that category. Sokka moans from his place on the (relatively) cool tile of their kitchen, clad only in boxer shorts and a tank top. The tank top’s welcome is swiftly wearing out.

“Zuko?”

“Hmm?” comes from the living room, where Zuko sits on the couch like a normal person, upright and everything. Zuko doesn’t seem to feel the heat, ever. He’s in a t-shirt and jeans for gods’ sakes, reading a book or whatever. Sokka had taken a moment to goggle at him as he’d slunk by, on his way to the kitchen tiles. Zuko had looked entirely relaxed. Totally chill. Completely unfair.

“If I asked, would you kill me? Like, in a quick and humane way?”

A moment of silence from the living room. From Sokka’s vantage point on the floor, he can only see Zuko’s feet (high arches, one crossed over the other at the ankle) and is about to ask again when— “Maybe? It depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“How you define humane.”

Sokka sits up, not expecting this to be the sticking point. “Huh. Well. They say that when butchers kill pigs it’s humane to shoot them between the eyes. I think I read that somewhere.” If Sokka’s honest, he hasn’t thought about this very much but now that the wheels are turning he’s all in. “Maybe that would do it?”

“That sounds messy. Would I have to kill you in the house?” Sokka can hear a rustle of pages, which makes him think Zuko has put his book down. Nice.

“Doesn’t have to be at home, no, you could take me out back if you had to. Put a tarp down maybe?”

“Hmm.” More silence. “A tarp could work, yeah. Where would I take your body then? I would ask if you wanted Katara to have it, but I think there’d be two bodies at that point, and she shouldn’t have to deal with that.”

Sokka snorts and lays back down. Zuko is entirely right, though; Katara would kill him on sight if he’d killed Sokka. No questions asked. “Maybe…hm. Hey, Zuko, did you ever watch Hannibal?”

“…Sokka. Ew. What the fuck.”

“Hey, I’m just saying! Neat, clean, efficient. Nothing wasted!” 

“Sokka, I think I’d have to be wasted before I ate you. Gross.” Zuko’s words may sound disgusted, but Sokka can hear the small smile in his voice. Sokka smiles too. How he got lucky enough to have a friend and roommate willing to humor him in the bullshit his heatstruck mind comes up with is beyond him. He shifts a bit, his patch of tile gaining unbearable warmth. He finds a different patch of tile and sighs into the coolness. 

“Alright then, smart guy, what would you do? How do you get rid of my body without alerting Katara or the proper authorities?”

“Well, first of all, fuck the police, so jot that down.” Sokka lets out a sharp laugh at that, thankful once again that someone had introduced Zuko to the Internet outside of his email inbox. “I’m not sure what I would do. Um, maybe…acid? I guess? Not sure where I would get acid though, hang on a second…” Sokka can hear Zuko get up and start pacing, something he only does when he’s deep in thought. “I suppose I could roll him up in the tarp and bury him somewhere…no telling if someone might dig him up later though…I guess that’s only if they’re looking…but I could always get caught while digging…there must be an easier, safer way….”

Sokka wants to let him finish, honest he does. But, holy shit, whenever Zuko gets really into something he just sounds so serious, even if it’s something as silly and completely hypothetical as how he’d dispose of Sokka’s murdered corpse and Sokka just starts laughing. Rolling on the floor, holding his stomach, deep guffaws. He doesn’t need to look at Zuko’s face to know the expressions it’s leaping through; they’ve lived together long enough that Sokka knows them all.

Sokka can hear Zuko’s footsteps walking towards him, and then he can see Zuko standing over him, frowning.

“What’s so funny, Sokka.”

Sokka knows it’s not a question but can't help himself from answering it like one. “It’s just…oh my god…sorry, sorry, I asked a question and you’re trying to answer it and that’s perfect Zuko, you have no idea.” Zuko frowns harder and Sokka does his best to control himself. He takes some deep breaths, bringing his guffawing down to a chuckle, and sits up again.

“Hey.”

“…hey.”

“I’m sorry I laughed at you. Thank you for carefully considering how you would dispose of my body.”

Lines of tension melt out of Zuko as he nods. “No problem.” He tilts his head. “Why are you on the floor?”  
Sokka groans, remembering his original problem. “’S fuckin’ hot my man! Way too hot to be anywhere near vertical, don’t know how you do it, in PANTS no less…” Sokka shifts again, looking for more cool patches. He is swiftly running out of those. Zuko snorts, looking down at him while raising his only eyebrow.

“It’s not that hot, Sokka. We’ve got a fan running.”

Sokka moans loudly, finally giving in and shucking his tank top, throwing it…somewhere. It doesn’t matter. It’ll turn up again when he needs it. “The fan is useless, I think I’m going to be a puddle by the end of the day. What is your secret, Zuko! Tell me now!” Zuko’s face does a funny thing, where it looks like it’s blushing, but it also looks like it’s fond, and then turning away before more data can be extracted from it. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sokka army crawls over to him, fully giving in to the heat-madness. “Your sssssecrets, Zuko!” He grabs one ankle with a burning hot palm. “Ssssssssssssecrets!!!” Zuko yelps and tries to step back, but only ends up over balancing and falling over. He lands on his butt, hard, with his ankle still captured by a Sokka-turned-wildman, still trying to edge away.

“Sokka! Do you need some ice? Are you okay? It’s really not that hot!” Zuko is a black belt, Sokka knows. Zuko could be trying harder. He isn’t, so Sokka tries hard enough for the both of them. He grabs his other ankle.

“Zukooooooo. What are the sttrrrraaaaaaats. How do I suuuuurrrviiiivvveeeeeeee.” Sokka is dragging Zuko towards him by the ankles and trying not to smile and he can see Zuko is trying not to smile too though he’d never admit it. Zuko half-heartedly kicks out his feet, attempting to get away, but he lets himself be dragged. It turns out, it’s hard to drag someone towards you when you’re lying on the ground and they’re lying there too, so Sokka instead starts army crawling towards Zuko’s face, his eyes a little manic. “Zuuuukooooooo.”

Zuko still valiantly tries to stop himself from looking anything but stoic, but he can’t help the laugh that comes out of him. “There’s something wrong with you, Sokka.”  
Sokka finally reaches his destination, his body laid out next to Zuko’s, face aligned with face. He grins, sweat dripping down his forehead. “Yeah. But you knew that when you signed the lease.”

Zuko tips his head in acknowledgment. His eyes are so…golden, and Sokka can’t believe he’d never noticed. Like twin suns, he’d say if he were in a poetic mood which, if he’s being honest, Sokka has noticed he’s often in when it comes to Zuko. The skin around Zuko’s eyes are crinkled with mirth, a scenario Sokka tries to create whenever he can. Zuko is too dour a person, sometimes, and needs a little shaking up when Sokka can manage it. It doesn’t hurt that his laugh makes Sokka feel like a square peg in a square hole, snug and comfortable. Sokka doesn’t examine this too deeply. Not often, anyway.

“Zuko?”

“Yes, Sokka?”

“You wouldn’t really kill me if I asked, would you?”

Zuko looks at him, golden eyes boring into blue. “Never. Not even if you asked.”

“Cool. Cool.”

They lay like that for a long, long time.

**Author's Note:**

> no, i don't like summer, why do you ask?
> 
> comments appreciated! either drop em here or find me at the-fixation-zone on tumblr if you want to chat! :)


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